A Knife In The Dark
by Lauren Ballard
Summary: One-shot, may continue . A young girl murders a man her family owes money to, but unbeknownst to her, she is being watched from the shadows...


**Hi. For readers of my other work, this is NOT about vampires. No Twilight, no Vampire Diaries. This is a video game fanfic! Originally written for a contest on another site. Fanfic for The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Please review after reading :) If you don't know what Skyrim is but you're interested, have a go at reading it - although I warn you, you probably won't understand...  
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**Enjoy! :) (One-Shot)**

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><p>Click.<p>

The lock finally opens, and I turn the handle with ease to open the reinforced iron door.

"This is wrong, Liana." my young sister Janine whispers.

"There's nothing else we can do." I breathe back, waiting as she closes the door quietly behind us. Yes, what we're doing is wrong. It's against the Nine Divines completely - it's murder.

You see, quite a few years ago our family borrowed some money from a wealthy man named Aerin Chrysten in Riften, the city not far from the town we lived in. He had a lot of money, and so gave out loans easily. We had borrowed five hundred gold coins, and had been working it back for two years.

Each month that went by, Aerin would increase the money we owed by ten gold pieces. Money was hard to earn for us, as the little town of Shor's Stone wasn't a rich one. Anyone with enough money to buy something bigger than a shack lifted down South in Riften. My twelve-year old sister and I had travelled three days to get here, camping under the stars and praying that we would not fall victim to the beasts of the wilderness. Eventually, we arrived at Riften safely and were given a room by our mother's old friend at the inn, just across the bridge from Aerin's house.

I had decided to kill Aerin. There was really nothing else we could do – with my father dead; we could barely get by with our tiny farm. Murder was wrong, but what else were we to do?

I persuaded myself that this quick kill would save many that owed Aerin money.

"Now Janine," I whisper, my voice barely audible. "I want you to stay right here. No matter what you hear, _stay here_. If you hear someone coming in, or I yell to you, I want you to find a window or back door, but _do not exit out this door_. D'you hear me?"

Janine nods obediently, trembling slightly. Her hand touches the tiny silver knife concealed under her shirt.

"Only use that if you're attacked, or it's absolutely necessary. If you have to leave without me, go straight to the inn. M'jala will help you." M'jala is a trusty khajit woman who my mother has known for years. After my father saved her from a troll, she has been helping our family as much as possible to get by, although she can't contribute much to what we owe to Aerin, especially since it rises each month. Janine just nods, gulping and embracing me tightly.

"Be careful." She whispers, before pulling back with wet eyes. I set off immediately, removing my thick boots and creeping across the old wood floors. The house is dim, lit by flickering candles on an iron hanging chandelier above me. There are various rooms in this two-storey house, and I'd love to explore them one day, but for now I have another goal.

_Maybe, _I think. _If no one hears the commotion, I could steal some things before I left. _I nod at the idea, and continue walking. At the end of the hall, just next to the cellar and staircase, there is an open door. The room inside looks like a study from what I can see. It will most likely have thick walls for peace and quiet, which is perfect for the act I am about to carry out.

I silently unsheathe the dagger from my belt, feeling the cool, sharp blade as I grasp it tightly in my right hand.

_Now or never._ I begin to slowly walk in, and find that Aerin is sitting at a desk across the room, reading through some documents with his back to me. I'm grateful for remembering to take off my boots – surely they would have warned him of my presence by now.

The young man wears fine clothes, lined with fur that probably cost a fortune. From behind I can see a thick gold chain around his neck, and many rings on his pale fingers. I'm sure that he never needs to go outside, what with all the money he inherited. His father was the Yarl of Riften, but instead of taking up the title himself the selfish boy was satisfied with all of his father's possessions and gold, which was almost everything that decorated the castle.

I just can't do it. I can't walk forward and end this man's life. It's not fair – it's not _right_. But something drives me forward, some increasing hatred that burns deep inside of me. It's whispering to me, telling me to plunge the dagger into his throat...

I'm upon my unsuspecting victim in seconds, slashing with as much force as my small body can muster up. The knife cuts deep across his throat, spilling dark crimson across his expensive clothes. It's almost too easy – Aerin barely gives a choking noise as his eyes roll back into his head and he slumps over, dead.

"May Arkay receive you." I whisper, closing his eyelids with my gentle fingers. I drop the bloodied dagger with a _clang_, and step back, staring at the gruesome scene before me.

I just killed someone. The words ring in my head – along with: _murderer...killer..._and other terrible names. I hold back the vomit that rises in my throat and run to Janine.

"Did you do it?" she asks quietly, solemnly watching me.

"Yes." I whisper in horror, staring off into space. I suddenly grasp Janine on the shoulders. "Quickly, Janine, run around the house. Take anything small that is of value – coin purses, jewellery, everything that we can carry in my satchel. I promise, no one is home. Just _do not _enter the last room of the hall."

My sister rushes off immediately, and I can hear her rummaging quietly through different rooms, searching for something that will pay for her food. I stand alone, paranoid that the guards will burst in at any moment. I glance around, shifting on my feet. A shiver racks through my body as I glance down at the blood on my snow-white hands, reminding me of what I've done.

I'm too shocked with my crime to be excited about the loot my speedy sister brings back: small sacks filled with gold, several jewel-adorned necklaces and rings, and two large fur coats. She's grinning, imagining hunger-free days. I take half of the heavy load from her and we hurry through the quiet house and out of the back door, which I have to pick open with my last remaining lock-pick. After exiting the empty house, we sprint together as fast as we can with our heavy items, winding our way behind shops and houses to the local inn.

The inn, named the _Bee and Bard. _By the hidden back door, we store our loot in a half-buried chest concealed in the grass before going in. M'jala has been helpful enough to tell us about it, so that we may hide our gold from guards if they come our way. I check my hands thoroughly for any traces of blood, and when I do find some I scrape my hands roughly against the outside wall of the inn, continuing until the blood has been rubbed off and my hands are red with scratches.

Pacing impatiently just inside the door is M'jala, her lion-like features twisted with worry. She seems overjoyed to see us, however, and pulls us into a hug. I feel the slightest brush of her long furry tail on my leg, and try not to jerk back. My mother taught me to respect the other races of Skyrim. She told me never to trust the stubborn Nords who believed that anyone but themselves didn't belong in this land.

"Janine" she smiles warmly. "Come, come, let's get you in your room. You can set off tomorrow morning." Without accepting a single word from us, M'jala ushers Janine off to a room at the back, but allows me to go where I please. After all, I am almost a woman now. I decide to go to bed, feeling oddly drained after my crime. I just want to sleep, to forget what I did for a little while. Janine settles on the single bed by the wall, and I take to the fur blankets that M'jala has lay on the floor. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep – my mind is blank with shock.

"O Nine Divines, I pray that you forgive me of my unrighteous sins. Cleanse me of the blood I have spilled." I whisper the prayer to myself several times absently, before I finally drift off to a dreamless sleep.

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><p>In the morning, I am awoken by the sound of a door slamming. I jerk up immediately, my heart pounding. <em>The guards! They're coming! <em>But only silence faces me. Janine is still fast asleep next to me, the noise not awakening her. I glance around the room and spot a folded piece of parchment on the wood beside me. _Could it be from M'jala? _Slowly I unfold it, opening it wide and holding it up to the light seeping in from the window. My eyes widen in horror as I see the contents, and my calmed fear is back again.

A black handprint has been stamped onto the paper, taking up most of the space. It is menacing, but a well known sign. Below that, in careful, spidery handwriting is written the words that chill me to the bone: _We Know._

The Black Hand reveals the sender immediately. The parchment seems old and limp in my shaking hands, but I can barely feel it.

My whole body trembles at the thought of one of their assassins being in this very room...Watching me.

It's the Dark Brotherhood.

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><p><strong>Ta da! :) May continue it if reviews are good. I hope you enjoyed it, please review, each one counts!<strong>


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